


Truth Be Told

by machtaholic (cinderella81)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Curse Breaking, Curses, First Kiss, Love Confessions, M/M, True Love's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:34:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25927456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinderella81/pseuds/machtaholic
Summary: Jace gets cursed while on a mission.  His curse?  The truth.Can a cure be found? (spoiler: yes)  Is the cure worse than the curse? (spoiler again:  no)
Relationships: Simon Lewis/Jace Wayland
Comments: 12
Kudos: 244





	Truth Be Told

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote the curse in English and then Google-translated it into French so ... apologies :)

“Why are we doing this again?” Jace asked.

“Because the Paris Institute asked for our help and the warlock is now in our territory,” Alec replied.

“Fine,” Jace said. “Magnus, do you have a lead on the warlock? Are we at least going in the right direction?”

“I can only get snatches,” Magnus said. “We’re in the right area.”

“Okay, we split up,” Alec said.

“I’ll go right, you two go left,” Jace said.

Without waiting for a response, Jace took off to the right, looking for the rogue warlock who’d been wreaking havoc in Paris for a week before suddenly leaving and appearing in New York. Jace and Alec had been tapped to search the warlock out and bring them in to be judged - but it hadn’t been easy. They’d been patrolling for a week with no luck.

Until Magnus had caught the warlock’s magical trail.

Jace gave himself a mental shake as he turned a corner …

And found himself pinned to a wall with a hand around his throat. 

The warlock kept a vice-like grip on Jace’s throat as he began to speak and Jace fought to keep consciousness as an almost unbearable heat started to seep through his skin at the warlock’s words.

“J'ai jeté une malédiction pour la vérité révélée,  
Pour des mots et des secrets non cachés,  
Ceux qui supportent maintenant ma fureur et ma colère,  
Offrez seulement des vérités à tous ceux qui croisent votre chemin,  
Portez le fardeau de la franchise brutale,  
De maintenant à pour toujours.”

Jace felt light headed and was about to lose consciousness when suddenly the grip on his throat was released and Jace fell to the ground in a semi-conscious heap.

“Jace!” 

Jace barely registered Alec and Magnus both next to him. He tried to say something, but it hurt too much.

“Don’t say anything,” Alec said. “We’ll get you to medical and get you checked out.”

Jace nodded, then looked around for the warlock.

“Don’t worry, Magnus got him and is going to portal him to the Paris Institute and then come back,” Alec said. “Can you stand?”

Jace nodded and managed to stand, swaying a bit as he tried to make sure he didn’t fall over. But then Alec was at his side and Jace leaned against him as they left the building and started to head back to the Institute.

They walked back in silence, for which Jace was grateful - and as soon as they were back, Alec took Jace directly to Medical, where Jace got checked out.

“So, Olive, what’s the verdict?” Alec asked.

“Well, you’ve got some bruising and a bit of a burn on your skin, but you should be fine by tomorrow,” Olive told Jace. “Drink this and rest your voice for tonight.”

Jace nodded as he took the little vial Olive handed him and downed it in one swallow.

“I’ll make sure he goes right to his room,” Alec said.

Jace just rolled his eyes and nudged Alec as he let Alec direct them to Jace’s room - Jace was still a bit tired from his encounter with the warlock. Once in his room, Jace tugged his boots off and flopped onto his bed.

“Sleep,” Alec said.

Jace just gave Alec a sleepy wave as he closed his eyes and let himself drift off to sleep.

***

The next morning, Jace woke up feeling much better. He rolled out of bed and padded to the bathroom, inspecting his throat and finding the bruising gone. Realizing he was up far too early, Jace ran a comb through his hair, brushed his teeth and then went to get changed. He had an early appointment at Halo and Horns first thing, but Jace figured he could get a work out and a run in before that.

The sparring space was eerily quiet, for which Jace was grateful. With no one else around, Jace was able to fully concentrate on his work out, to lose himself a bit in the comforting monotony of his workout routine. When his workout was done, Jace grabbed a bottle of water, a quick breakfast from the kitchen and took off on a run, enjoying the sounds that surrounded him as he ran from the Institute through the city towards Halo and Horns.

Halo and Horns was also quiet when Jace arrived, thankfully. One of the few neutral places for Shadowhunters and downworlders, Halo and Horns was nearly always bustling with clients. Sometimes Jace enjoyed the almost white noise that accompanied the chatter and sounds of the salon. 

Sometimes.

But Jace wanted peace and quiet this time, which is why he’d set his appointment for first thing before most people showed up. He gave the receptionist a wave and pointed towards the back where Derek (his stylist) would be waiting.

“Jace,” Derek said when Jace rounded the corner.

“Derek,” Jace replied with a grin.

They exchanged a brief hug and then Jace sat down, settling comfortably into the chair and watching in the mirror as Derek wrapped a cape around Jace’s neck and snapped it tight.

“So, just a trim?” Derek asked.

What Jace intended to say was “Yep, just a trim”. Instead … 

“Nah, I’ve been feeling a bit stagnant. Let’s do something different.”

“Jace Herondale doing something different,” Derek said. “Never thought I’d see the day. So, what do you want to do?”

“Surprise me,” Jace said, trying to keep the horror from showing on his face.

“Holy shit, this is a day for the books,” Derek said. “You’ve had the same style for so long - this is going to be epic. I know just what to do.”

As Derek went to the back to get whatever he was going to get, Jace contemplated what had just occurred. Jace had been feeling stagnant, that was true. And he’d contemplated switching things up, just to see if it would … help. But he’d never meant to voice that. Jace’s look was perfectly curated to present a specific image. 

And even if he’d wanted to (which he did), Jace had created an image he was hesitant to change.

Change brought questions.

“Okay, okay, since you want a surprise, I’m just going to remove the mirror.”

Jace watched as Derek waved his hand and made the mirror disappear. 

“Okay Jace, last chance because once I start there’s no going back. Still want me to surprise you?” Derek asked.

Jace appreciated that Derek tried to give him an out. But even as he’s tried to form the words to tell Derek nevermind what came out was the complete opposite.

“I’m sure, let’s go,” Jace said.

For the next two hours, time passed in almost a weird, out of body experience for Jace. Derek was so focused on his work that he didn’t even try to make small talk or ask Jace any other questions, which left Jace there trying to figure out what Derek was doing.

Jace didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified when Derek finally whisked the cape away.

“Okay, I’m going to bring the mirror back, so close your eyes,” Derek said.

“Seriously?” Jace asked.

“Yes seriously,” Derek said. 

“Fine,” Jace said with a sigh and closed his eyes.

“Okay,” Derek said. “Open your eyes.”

Jace slowly opened his eyes and blinked as his reflection came into focus.

“Holy shit,” Jace whispered. Still short on the back and sides, the top of his hair was shorter than usual, only about four inches long, and was liberally streaked with color.

Bright blue to be exact.

“The blue is an exact match to your eyes,” Derek said. “I made sure I didn’t do the whole thing blue because then you miss the contrast. So, what do you think?”

What did Jace think?

“It’s perfect,” Jace said, smiling when Derek wrapped him in a hug.

“Now, this won’t stay this way forever,” Derek said. “I did a quick spell to keep the color from fading but there will still be grow out.”

“Okay,” Jace said.

“So you’ll need to come back in six to eight weeks,” Derek said.

“Okay, I’ll call later this week to make an appointment,” Jace said.

“Sure, sure,” Derek replied. 

Exchanging goodbyes, Jace went to the front to pay and then headed home. Jace walked slowly, still trying to work out what was going on while also trying to plot the fastest way back to his room to avoid people.

Seeing people meant questions. And Jace was fairly certain he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of any questions at the moment.

By the time Jace reached the Institute he had a clear path in mind and, once inside the doors, took off to his room at a brisk pace. Running would only alert suspicion. Once safe inside his room, Jace pulled out his phone and sent a text to Alec.

/Something’s wrong. Come to my room. Bring Magnus./

Jace knew sending a text like that would cause Alec to panic, and bring Izzy, but Jace was actually worried.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. Jace opened the door just wide enough to let in Alec, Magnus and Izzy, then quickly shut the door behind them.

“Jace, what’s - holy shit!” Alec said.

Jace blushed a bit and rubbed the back of his head.

“Tell me this isn’t what’s wrong, because this looks amazing,” Izzy said as she walked in a slow circle around Jace.

“In a sense,” Jace said.

“Did you ask for this?” Alec asked.

“I told Derek to surprise me,” Jace said.

“So you did want this?” Izzy asked.

“Yes,” Jace said, frowning.

“Wait, wait, I think I know,” Magnus said, then turned to Jace. “Did you want to tell Derek to surprise you?”

“No,” Jace said, sighing softly and moving to sit at the end of his bed.

“You didn’t want to tell him,” Alec said. “So why did you?”

“Because I couldn’t help myself, the words just came out,” Jace said.

“Jace, will you let me do a quick spell so I can confirm my suspicions?” Magnus asked.

“Yes,” Jace said. “Please.”

“All right,” Magnus said as he pushed up his shirt sleeves. “Please stay still.”

Jace nodded and sat as patiently as possible while Magnus cast his spell. The space around Jace seemed to vibrate, there was a burst of grey smoke and then a piece of parchment landed in Jace’s lap.

“You’re clearly under a spell of some kind, so I cast a counter to reveal it,” Magnus said. “Now, we shouldn’t read it out loud, but please bring it over so we can all see.”

Jace nodded and carried the parchment over to his desk, where all four of them crowded around to read.

I cast a curse for truth revealed,  
For unbidden words and secrets unsealed,  
Those who now bear my fury and wrath,  
Offer only truths to all who cross your path,  
Bear the burden of brutal candor,  
From now until forevermore.

“Not a spell, but a curse,” Magnus said.

“Truth revealed,” Alec said. “Jace has been cursed to tell the truth?”

“It appears so,” Magnus said.

“That’s dangerous,” Izzy commented. “The truth isn’t always a good thing.”

“Precisely,” Magnus said. “Jace, I presume it’s okay for me to take this so I can try to work on a spell to counter or break this curse?”

“Please,” Jace said. 

“Lovely,” Magnus replied. “And now, just to test things out - Jace, what do you think of my fashion sense?”

“It’s fashion forward and enigmatic and I’d steal a few pieces if I could,” Jace responded instantly, frowning.

“Do you like my nail polish?” Izzy asked.

“Pretty, but the sparkles could be distracting in a fight,” Jace replied, then turned to Alec expectantly.

“Nah, I’m good,” Alec said.

Jace sighed and wrapped his Parabatai in a hug.

“Thanks,” Jace whispered.

“Secrets unsealed indeed,” Magnus said with a smile. “Don’t worry Jace, your secret is safe with us.”

“But we still have a problem,” Alec said. “The wrong person asking questions is going to lead to problems.”

“And telling people will have the same issue,” Izzy said. “Even if people are joking around, there is a time and place for truth.”

“I could sequester myself until Magnus figures this out,” Jace suggested.

“True,” Alec said. “But you’re one of our best fighters, so at some point you’ll have to come out on patrol.”

“I mean, if we could keep people from asking questions,” Izzy said. “Because that’s the only time it seems to happen.”

“Good in theory, but not workable,” Alec said.

“True, we are curious creatures at our core,” Magnus said. “We yearn to learn things.”

Jace sighed and rubbed the back of his head again.

“Jace, are you ba - woah it’s a party in here!” Clary said as she stepped into Jace’s room. “Jace, wow, your hair looks great! What brought this on?”

“A curse,” Jace said.

“A curse changed your hair?” Clary asked.

“No, a curse made me tell Derek I wanted to change my hair,” Jace said.

“I don’t get it,” Clary said.

“Yesterday when we were tracking the warlock, Jace got cursed to tell the truth,” Alec said.

“So if anyone asks him a question, he has to answer truthfully?” Clary said.

“Yes,” Magnus said. “So I would advise -”

“So if I said, hey Jace, what do you think about me as your girlfriend?” Clary asked.

“You’re sweet and kind and the perfect girlfriend for my carefully curated facade of hypermasculinity,” Jace said. “But you’re more of a sister to me.” Jace felt the words leave his mouth, then sighed when Clary’s face fell.

“As I had started to say,” Magnus said. “I would advise against asking questions where you’re unsure if you could handle the truth of the answers. Carefully curated facade of hypermasculinity - very elegant.”

Jace just shrugged, then gave Clary a sad smile.

“I’m sorry,” Jace said softly, sighing again when Clary gave him a watery smile and then hurried from the room.

“That is exactly why we need to figure out how to break this curse,” Izzy said.

“I’ll start looking into it,” Magnus said.

“I’ll get in touch with the Paris Institute, see if they can get an answer from the warlock,” Alec said. “We’ll fix this, Jace, I promise.”

“Until then, I’m going to stay in my room,” Jace said, moving to flop on his bed.

“Is it okay if I keep you company?” Izzy asked.

“Yeah,” Jace said, humming when he felt the bed dip. After a bit of rustling, he felt Izzy sitting next to him, so he moved a bit and rested his head on Izzy’s thigh. Jace smiled when he felt Izzy gently petting the back of his head.

“I will try not to ask questions,” Izzy said. “But they might slip out.”

“We yearn to learn,” Jace muttered.

“We’ll figure it out,” Izzy said.

“I know,” Jace replied. “But until then …”

“You’re going to be in hiding,” Izzy said. “I really do like your hair, though.”

“I do, too,” Jace replied softly. 

“So,” Izzy said. “Carefully curated facade of hypermasculinity?”

“I became who everyone expected me to be,” Jace said. “Everyone expected that jock who had a string of one night stands, so that’s who I became.”

“I’m sorry,” Izzy whispered. “I’m sorry that you feel like you couldn’t be yourself.”

Jace just shrugged, then sighed when Izzy scratched gently at the back of his head.

“This curse is going to force me to be myself,” Jace said. “Every secret, every truth spilled - you just have to ask the right question.”

“We’ll fix this, Jace,” Izzy said. “We’ll fix this.”

***

“Hey Jace, what do you think about …?”

“Hey Jace, did you really …?”

“Hey Jace …?”

It had been a week since Jace had been cursed and he was ready to move to an island where he could just be alone. Magnus, Alec and Izzy had fun with it, asking Jace silly questions every once and awhile, but for the most part left Jace be. Clary, still reeling from the brutal truth of her first question, left Jace alone. 

It was everyone else that was the problem.

Everyone seemed to want to test to see if Jace was really cursed, either by asking his opinion of something or asking him to confirm information from some mission he’d been on.

It was exhausting.

After a workout, Jace had managed to make it back to his room without encountering anyone and showered before searching out a bit of solitude. He could only stay secluded in his room for so long before he started to go stir crazy. 

The atrium was empty, thankfully, and Jace took a seat and closed his eyes, enjoying the quiet. The sound of whistling made Jace open his eyes and he frowned when he saw Simon walking through the atrium.

“Jace, hey,” Simon said. “Super cool hair!”

“Thanks,” Jace replied.

“What’s wrong?” Simon asked.

“I’m cursed,” Jace muttered. “Wait, how did you know something was wrong?”

“It can’t be that bad, whatever it is,” Simon said. “And you’re here alone instead of with Alec or Izzy or Clary, so clearly something is wrong. Why would you say you’re cursed?”

“Because I am,” Jace replied.

“Cursed with what, an eternity of brooding?” Simon asked.

“Truth,” Jace said. “I got cursed with truth. I answer every question truthfully.”

“Harsh,” Simon said. “Truth can be a hard pill to swallow.”

“Yeah,” Jace replied. 

“I assume everyone’s trying to find a way to break it?”

“Magnus, Alec and Izzy are,” Jace replied. “Most everyone else is just bombarding me with questions.”

“And now I get why you’re alone,” Simon replied. “What about Clary?”

“She asked a question and wasn’t prepared for the truth,” Jace said.

“Oh,” Simon said slowly. “Shitty. We’re supposed to hang out - I was looking for her when I found you - so I’m sure I’ll hear all about it.”

“I’m sure,” Jace said.

“Do you want her to tell me?” Simon asked gently.

“Not particularly,” Jace replied.

“Do you want to tell me?” Simon asked after a few minutes.

“Yes,” Jace said, then groaned and ran a hand over his face, giving Simon a glare when he laughed. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Simon said. “So, what happened?”

“Clary asked what I thought about her as a girlfriend and I responded that she is sweet and kind and the perfect girlfriend for my carefully curated facade of hypermasculinity, but that she’s more of a sister to me.”

“Jace Herondale a wordsmith,” Simon said. “Impressive.”

“That’s it?” Jace asked.

“I had a crush on her for the longest time until I realized that we’d never work,” Simon said with a shrug. 

“I never meant to hurt her,” Jace said.

“I know,” Simon said. “For all you present this ... facade of hypermasculinity, you’re just a big softy underneath it all.”

“Am not,” Jace muttered.

“Oh you totally are,” Simon said. “But, I’ll refrain from using your curse against you to get you to admit it.”

Jace snorted and shook his head, grinning at Simon.

“Anyway, I gotta go find Clary,” Simon said. “I hope they find a fix soon, Jace.”

“Thanks,” Jace replied, still smiling as he watched Simon walk away and wondering why he felt more relaxed than he had before Simon showed up.

***

“We think we found it!”

Jace looked up from the book he was reading as Alec, Izzy and Magnus entered the library. Jace had taken to hiding there during the day - two weeks after being cursed and he was still constantly bombarded with questions.

“Found what?”

“The way to break the curse,” Magnus said. 

“I went to the Paris Institute this week and talked to the warlock again,” Alec said.

“Talked, huh?” Jace replied with a smile.

“He did more than talk,” Izzy said.

“It was quite impressive,” Magnus said. “Magnificent, really.”

“Okay, okay,” Jace said. “I get it. So, breaking the curse?”

“Simple really, true love’s kiss,” Izzy said.

“Simple?” Jace said. “That’s not simple! True love? I’m not even seeing anyone right now!”

“The warlock did say something about that,” Magnus said. “After Alec so helpfully mentioned that your true love had not yet been found.”

“And?” Jace pushed.

“The warlock mentioned that, because your true love is essentially your soulmate, the curse is also affecting them,” Magnus said.

“Meaning?” Jace pressed.

“They won’t be able to lie to you,” Alec said. 

“So I just have to ask people questions, tell them to lie, and find the one who can’t?” Jace said. “Sure, easy.”

“Hey, at least there’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” Izzy said. “There’s a solution.”

Jace sighed and nodded. “I guess, yeah,” he said. “Juse feels like a lost cause.”

“Hey, no,” Izzy said. “We’ll figure this out.”

***

“This is getting silly,” Jace muttered.

“It’s kind of cute,” Izzy replied. “Like a fairy tale.”

“A twisted one,” Jace replied.

It had been another week since the revelation and Jace found himself, instead of answering questions, demanding that he ask other Shadowhunters questions. It seemed like Jace was a hot commodity - Shadowhunters even came from other Institutes to talk to Jace, hoping to be Jace’s true love.

It was a little terrifying, actually.

“There’s still a few more people who want to talk to you,” Izzy said.

“Not today,” Jace grumbled.

“Did, um, Clary talk to you?” Izzy asked gently.

“Of course not, already burned that bridge,” Jace said, then sighed. “I feel like I have no secrets anymore - and now I’m the Institute’s most wanted and it’s exhausting.”

“Look at it on the bright side, you’re getting closer to finding your true love,” Izzy said.

“Have you guys seen Clary?”

Jace glanced up when he saw Simon step into the library.

“I’m not on her most wanted list at the moment,” Jace said. “Haven’t seen her recently.”

“Oh … yeah,” Simon said. “So Izzy, how goes the search for breaking Jace’s curse?”

Jace smiled - he appreciated that Simon didn’t ask him. Anytime he’d seen Simon in the last week, Simon had been really careful to not ask him any questions. It was nice, to not have to worry.

“We’ve got the cure,” Izzy said. “At least we think. It’s the execution that’s taking a bit.”

“Oh, well at least there’s a cure,” Simon said.

“Yeah,” Jace said. “Did you still need to find Clary?”

“No,” Simon said.

Jace blinked as Simon frowned.

“You just asked us if we’d seen Clary,” Izzy said.

“I know,” Simon said slowly.

“Then why are you here?” Jace asked.

“To check on you,” Simon replied.

“Oh, um, thanks,” Jace said. “So why did you ask if we’d seen Clary?”

“An excuse to see you without looking like I was checking on you,” Simon said.

“Are you okay?” Izzy asked Simon.

“Peachy,” Simon said.

“Really? Because you sound a little frustrated,” Izzy said.

“Izzy’s right,” Jace said as he watched Simon curiously. “You seem a little frustrated.”

“Fine, I’m fine,” Simon replied. 

“If you’re sure,” Izzy said.

“So, Jace, what’s the cure?” Simon asked.

“True love’s kiss,” Jace said, then groaned. “You just had to ask, huh?”

“Yep,” Simon said. “In fact I did. So who’s your true love?”

“No idea,” Jace replied.

“Ouch,” Simon replied. “How do you know who your true love is?”

“They won’t be able to lie to me,” Jace said. “Just like I can’t lie to anyone, my true love won’t be able to lie to me.”

“So, people have been lined up asking Jace to ask them questions, hoping to be the one who can’t lie to him,” Izzy said.

“Like Cinderella,” Simon said. “Romantic, in a weird way. Sounds like fun.”

“Romantic and fun … not really,” Jace said. “What, you want to take the test?”

“Yes,” Simon replied.

“Simon, I’m going to ask you a question - lie to me,” Izzy said slowly. “What’s your favorite color?”

“Pink,” Simon said slowly.

“Simon, what’s your favorite color?” Jace asked.

“The exact blue of your eyes,” Simon said, then made a strangled sound and covered his mouth with his hands.

“Oh my god, it’s Simon,” Izzy said.

Jace stood and crossed the room, closing the space between him and Simon.

“Simon,” Jace murmured as he stood mere inches from Simon.

“Yeah,” Simon whispered.

“Do you love me?” Jace murmured.

“Yeah,” Simon replied. “Do you love me?”

‘Yeah,” Jace said.

“Oh my god, just kiss you idiots!” Izzy yelled.

Jace jumped - he’d forgotten Izzy was there. He gave Simon a small smile and reached out, taking Simon’s hand in his.

“Can I kiss you?” Jace asked.

“Fuck yes,” Simon replied.

Jace laughed and closed the space between them, pressing his lips to Simon’s in a sweet kiss. He felt a weird tingle, probably the curse breaking, but then it was just Simon’s lips under his and it was perfect. He broke the kiss and gave Simon another small smile.

“So, want to go out on a date?” Jace asked, smiling wider when Simon laughed.

“Most definitely,” Simon replied.

“You wouldn’t be lying to me, now would you?” Jace asked.

“Never.”


End file.
